NEW DELHI: The Union govt on Friday informed Supreme Court that deletion of a provision in the 1995 Waqf Act barring enforcement of rights over unregistered waqfs through an amendment in 2013 resulted in a massive rise in Waqf Board properties country-wide from 2,07,394 to 8,72,870 and a corresponding increase in area from 18.3 lakh acres to 39 lakh acres.
Delhi Waqf Board in 2013 had just nine properties having an area of 0.03 acres. By 2025, the number of properties under its control increased to 1,047 having an area of 28 acres. This phenomenon was more accentuated in Jammu & Kashmir, where the Auqaf Board had just one property with 0.42 acres in 2013, which increased to 32,533 with an area of 31.4 acres by 2025, the Centre's affidavit said.
Even in the remote Andaman and Nicobar Islands, waqf properties increased from 35 in 2013 to 151 in 2025, with the accretion of an additional area of 138 acres. The least increase in waqf properties, from 51 in 2013 to 58 in 2025, was in Meghalaya, where Christians constitute 75% of the population, Hindus 11% and indigenous groups 9%.
In Rajasthan too, the rise in waqf properties was minimal, adding 7,769 in 12 years to the 23,126 in 2013. In Tamil Nadu, waqf properties numbering 43,623 in 2013 increased by another 22,469 in the next 12 years. In Uttar Pradesh, Sunni Waqf properties increased from 12,914 in 2013 to 2,17,161 in 2025. In West Bengal, such properties increased from 17,946 in 2013 to 80,808 in 2025. In Gujarat, waqf properties increased from 3,074 in 2013 to 39,940 in 2025. Andhra Pradesh too saw a massive increase - from 390 in 2013 to 14,685 in 2025.
Taking the overall picture of alarming increase in waqf properties without registration and suo motu declaration of a property as waqf by boards, the Centre said the 2025 amendment was brought in to ensure that "Waqf Boards in the country are properly administered and function with transparency and prevent repeated abuse of waqf legislation which resulted in deprivation of personal properties of individuals and encroachment of govt land".
It said the amendment was necessitated because of "repeated and documented instances across the country where Waqf Boards had claimed title over govt land, public utilities and protected monuments without deed, survey or adjudication, relying solely on the board's unilateral records. Said claims included waqf claims over collectors' offices, govt schools, ASI-protected heritage sites and land vested in state or municipal authorities".
Delhi Waqf Board in 2013 had just nine properties having an area of 0.03 acres. By 2025, the number of properties under its control increased to 1,047 having an area of 28 acres. This phenomenon was more accentuated in Jammu & Kashmir, where the Auqaf Board had just one property with 0.42 acres in 2013, which increased to 32,533 with an area of 31.4 acres by 2025, the Centre's affidavit said.
Even in the remote Andaman and Nicobar Islands, waqf properties increased from 35 in 2013 to 151 in 2025, with the accretion of an additional area of 138 acres. The least increase in waqf properties, from 51 in 2013 to 58 in 2025, was in Meghalaya, where Christians constitute 75% of the population, Hindus 11% and indigenous groups 9%.
In Rajasthan too, the rise in waqf properties was minimal, adding 7,769 in 12 years to the 23,126 in 2013. In Tamil Nadu, waqf properties numbering 43,623 in 2013 increased by another 22,469 in the next 12 years. In Uttar Pradesh, Sunni Waqf properties increased from 12,914 in 2013 to 2,17,161 in 2025. In West Bengal, such properties increased from 17,946 in 2013 to 80,808 in 2025. In Gujarat, waqf properties increased from 3,074 in 2013 to 39,940 in 2025. Andhra Pradesh too saw a massive increase - from 390 in 2013 to 14,685 in 2025.
Taking the overall picture of alarming increase in waqf properties without registration and suo motu declaration of a property as waqf by boards, the Centre said the 2025 amendment was brought in to ensure that "Waqf Boards in the country are properly administered and function with transparency and prevent repeated abuse of waqf legislation which resulted in deprivation of personal properties of individuals and encroachment of govt land".
It said the amendment was necessitated because of "repeated and documented instances across the country where Waqf Boards had claimed title over govt land, public utilities and protected monuments without deed, survey or adjudication, relying solely on the board's unilateral records. Said claims included waqf claims over collectors' offices, govt schools, ASI-protected heritage sites and land vested in state or municipal authorities".
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